Abstract Detail

Reticulate evolution and biogeography in ferns and lycophytes - a colloquium honoring Dr. David Barrington

Testo, Weston [1], Patel , Nikisha R [2], Sundue , Michael A [3].

Reticulate evolution and biogeography in ferns and lycophytes - a colloquium honoring Dr. David Barrington.

Over the last 40 years, our understanding of the evolutionary history of ferns and lycophytes has advanced spectacularly. In recent years we have generated robust, densely sampled phylogenies of most families of ferns, unraveled complex patterns of hybridization and reticulation in many genera, and added to our knowledge of the factors influencing their distributions. These accomplishments were facilitated by methodological and analytical advances but were only realized thanks to the contributions of individual researchers who served to advance the field of pteridology into the modern era. Here, we are proposing a colloquium to honor one of these leaders, Dr. David Barrington (University of Vermont), in recognition of his contributions to the study of pteridology over the last 45 years. Dave’s research career has focused principally on the evolutionary history of the fern genus Polystichum, but the impact of his mentorship and interdisciplinary research program on the pteridological community has been much broader. The talks featured in this colloquium will be centered around two core themes of Dave’s research career: the biogeography of ferns and lycophytes and the importance of hybridization and polyploidy to the evolution of these two groups. The topics discussed in this colloquium would address these themes across a diverse array of taxonomic groups and disciplines ranging from morphology and taxonomy to reproductive ecology and phylogenomics. With such a diverse set of contributions, this colloquium would be of interest to anyone interested in pteridology, biogeography, systematics, hybridization, polyploidy, or Dave himself. Relevance: